Nicholas Schaeffer Capstone

My capstone project was to design and simulate a model rocket that used a dual-deploy parachute system. I decided to do this project because of my interest in model rockets and aerospace engineering. The rocket is 39 inches long and has about a 2-inch diameter. Dual deployment means that once it reaches its apogee, the highest point, a small parachute gets released, then a larger parachute gets released once it gets much closer to the ground. A normal parachute system just releases one large parachute at apogee. I researched different components of model rockets and model rocket kits. Then I designed a rocket in Fusion 360, a CAD software. I then took that design and created it in a simulation tool called Open Rocket. I adjusted the design to get the apogee over a thousand feet. Then I went to the CAD and added the changes I made in the simulation. The other data I’m collecting from the simulation are the drag coefficient and the horizontal distance traveled. The horizontal distance is important because the point of a dual-deploy parachute system is to decrease the distance a rocket travels after its parachute is deployed. Throughout this project, I have learned so much about how model rockets work, how to use Fusion 360, and how to use Open Rocket. All of these are skills that I plan on using in the future as an aerospace engineer.

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBTOZC78DLeTPDKGGQUDDRYAeXIkPatUDR6PWbz7qaM/edit?usp=sharing